The artillery tractor is a kind of tractor, also referred to as a gun tractor, a vehicle used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights. The first such devices were designed prior to the outbreak of World War I often based on agricultural machines such as the Holt tractor. Such tractors allowed the tactical use of heavier guns to supplement the light horse drawn field guns. For example in the British Army it allowed the heavy howitzers of the Garrison Artillery to be used on the battlefield.

In World War II the horse was still the most common source of motive power in many armies. Most nations being unable to economically and industrially fully motorise their forces. One compromise was to produce general purpose vehicles which could be used in the troop transport, logistics and prime mover roles, with heavy artillery tractors to move the heaviest guns. The Royal Artillery however, persisted with specialist artillery tractors through out World War II, rather than adopt a general purpose vehicle. This was in order to prevent their vehicles being taken from them for other tasks.